Jun. 20, 2014

Written by

Ben Roberts

Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. — As soon as he’s done carving up defenses at the NBPA Top 100 camp, Derryck Thornton plans to jump in the car and head for Lexington, Ky.

The class of 2016 point guard from high school powerhouse Findlay Prep in Nevada could be the next top recruit to earn a scholarship offer from John Calipari.

Thornton got a call from the UK coach June 15 — the first day colleges were allowed to directly contact players from the 2016 class — and the pair spoke for about 20 minutes.

Thornton recently wrapped up an unofficial visit to Michigan and also has offers from Florida, Arizona, UConn and other top programs. Duke and Louisville are among the others that would like him to visit.

The Los Angeles native didn’t mention any favorites, but it’s clear that an offer from UK would be a big deal. Calipari intimated that one could be coming soon.

“I’m very interested in Kentucky,” Thornton said. “Coach Cal does a great job with point guards … and pretty much everybody (else). He gets guys to the league, so I want to go out there this weekend and get a good feel for how the players like it and all that.”

Thornton — a 6-foot-1 prospect — was one of the standouts during the first day of the Top 100 Camp, averaging 6.0 assists in 24.5 minutes over his first two games. His assist total was the second-highest in the camp, and his highlight-reel passes were second to none.

“He’s so skilled. And he’s a leader,” said scout.com analyst Evan Daniels. “I think the best thing about Derryck is he knows how to run a team. He can facilitate. He can get guys in the right spots. And he’s going to find them. But then, if he needs to make an open jump shot, he can do that, too.

“He’s one of the best point guard prospects in that 2016 class.”

Scout.com ranks him as the No. 11 overall prospect in the class, and it appears that he will be the first point guard from that group to earn a UK offer.

Thornton said Calipari told him that he wants to get him on UK’s campus first so he can extend that offer personally. The plan is for Thornton and his father to get to Lexington late Saturday night and spend all day Sunday and part of Monday visiting with Calipari and touring the campus.

“The thing about Derryck — he’s been on a national stage since the beginning,” Daniels said. “He’s played up (in age group). He played at Findlay this past year. And he’s a really hard worker. He’s a gym rat, so he’s only going to get better.”

Note: Former Michigan big man Mitch McGary is scheduled to have a predraft workout with the Milwaukee Bucks this week, according to the Racine (Wis.) Journal Times. It’s believed that that would be his first workout for a team. The NBA draft is Thursday.